SUBSURFACE FLOW

 LAW OF DARCY
 GROUND WATER IN CONFINED & UNCONFINED AQUIFER
 RADIAL GROUNDWATER FLOW IN CONFINED &
UNCONFINED AQUIFER
 TRAVEL TIME OF GROUNDWATER IN CONFINED AQUIFER
 SUBSURFACE FLOW
• The flow of water below the earths surface as part of the hydrologic
cycle.
• Subsurface flow may return to earth's surface perched flow, such as
from a spring or seep or subsurface return to streams, creeks, and
rivers.
• Part of streamflow that has infiltrated the ground, has entered the
saturated zone, and has been discharged into a stream channel, or
springs and seepage water.
 LAW OF DARCY
Henry Darcy was a French engineer.
The law was formulated by a Engr. HENRY DARCY based on results of experiments on the
flow of water.
• Darcy’s law Is an equation that describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium.
• Darcy's law states the principle which governs the movement of fluid in a given
substance.
DARCY'S LAW EQUATION
• Describes the capability of the liquid to flow via any porous media like a rock.
The law is based on the fact according to which, the flow between two points is directly
proportional to the pressure differences between the points, the distance, and the
connectivity of flow within rocks between the points.
 APPLICATION OF DARCY LAW
• One application of Darcy's law is to flow water through an aquifer.
 Aquifer is an underground layer where any spaces between soil
particles and cracks bedrock are filled by water.
• Darcy’s law with the conservation of mas equation is equivalent to
the ground water flow equation, being one of the basic
relationships of hydrology.
• Darcy’s law is also applied to describe oil gas and waterflows
through petroleum reservoirs.
 DARCY’S LAW OF EQUATION
To understand the mathematical aspect behind liquid
flow in the substance, Darcy’s law can be described as;
The relationship between the instantaneous rate of discharge
through a porous medium and pressure drop at a distance.
Darcy’s law is expressed as:
Q = -KA DH/DL
Q = -KA Dh/DL
WHEREIN:
• Q is the rate of water flow Darcy’s Law diagram is as
shown below:
• K is the hydraulic conductivity
• A is the column cross-section area
• Dh/Dl indicates a hydraulic gradient.
• Dh = (h1-h2)
• A channel runs almost parallel to a river, and they are 2000 ft apart. The water level in
the river is at an elevation of 120 ft and 110 ft in the channel. A pervious formation
averaging 30 ft thick and with k of 0.25ft/hr joins them. Determine the rate of seepage
or flow from the river to the channel.
Consider a 1 ft length of river & channel
Q=KA[h1-h2]/L
GROUNDWATER FLOW IN CONFINED AND
UNCONFINED AQUIFER
GROUNDWATER FLOW IN CONFINED
AQUIFER
 CONFINED AQUIFER
• Are permeable rock units that are usually deeper under the ground
than unconfined aquifers. They are overlain by relatively
impermeable rock or clay that limits groundwater movement into, in
or out of, the confined aquifer.
• Groundwater in a confined aquifer is under pressure and will rise
up inside a borehole drilled into the aquifer. The level to which the
water rises is called the potentiometric surface. An artesian flow s
where water flows out of the borehole under natural pressure.
 FLOW LINES AND FLOW NETS

• FLOW LINES - show the direction of groundwaterflow

• EQUIPOTENTIALS (lines of constant head) - show the
distribution of potential energy.
• Flow nets – is a graphical representation of two-
dimensional steady-state groundwater flow through
aquifers.
 THREE TYPES OF BOUNDARY

•NO-FLOW BOUNDARY
•CONSTANT-HEAD BOUNDARY
•WATER-TABLE BOUNDARY (UNCONFINED)
GROUND WATER FLOW IN UNCONFINED
ACQUIFER
 GROUND WATER FLOW IN UNCONFINED
ACQUIFER
• Where groundwater is in direct contact with the atmosphere
through the open pore spaces of the overlying soil or rock, then the
aquifer is said to be unconfined. The upper groundwater surface in
an unconfined aquifer is called the water table. The depth to the
water table varies according to factors such as the topography,
geology, season and tidal effects, and the quantities of water
being pumped from the aquifer.
 UNCONFINED ACQUIFER
• Unconfined aquifers are usually recharged by rain or stream
water infiltrating directly through the overlying soil. Typical
examples of unconfined aquifers include many areas of
coastal sands and alluvial deposits in river valleys.
• Unconfined aquifers receive recharge directly from rainfall
and surface water infiltrating downward. Confined aquifers
are connected to unconfined areas where water can flow in.
 POROUS MEDIA AND GROUNDWATER FLOW
1. WATER- BEARING ROCKS
2. VOIDS OF ROCKS
3. DEPOSITS CONSOLIDATION
1. Water bearing rocks- Rock layer that contains water and releases it in
appreciable amounts.
• Water-bearing rocks are permeable, meaning that they have openings that liquids and
gases can pass through.
2. Voids- the pores between the solid particles including the
volume of water and the volume of air.
• Empty spaces- Spaces in the materials.
THERE ARE THUS SOME BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN UNCONFINED AND
CONFINED AQUIFERS WHEN THEY ARE PUMPED:
• FIRST, A confined aquifer is not dewatered during pumping; it remains fully
saturated and the pumping creates a drawdown in the piezometric surface;
• SECOND, The water produced by a well in a confined aquifer comes from
the expansion of the water in the aquifer due to a reduction of the water
pressure, and from the compaction of the aquifer due to increased effective
stresses;
• THIRD, The flow towards the well in a confined aquifer is and remains
horizontal, provided, of course, that the well is a fully penetrating one; there
are no vertical flow
STEADY RADIAL FLOW IN CONFINED
ACQUIFER
 STEADY RADIAL FLOW IN CONFINED AQUIFER
• Steady flow to a well
• *When a well is pumped, water is removed from the aquifer
surrounding the well, and depending on the type of aquifer, the
water table of piezometric surface is lowered.
• *The drawdown at a given point is the distance the water level is
lowered. A drawdown curve shows the variation of drawdown with
distance from the well. In three dimensions, the drawdown curve
describes a conic shape known as the cone of depression.
STEADY RADIAL FLOW TO A WELL
 STEADY RADIAL FLOW TO WELL CONFINED
• In a confined aquifer, the drawdown curve or cone of depression varies with
distance from a pumping well.
• For horizontal flow, Q at any radius r equals, from Darcy’s law,
Q=-2PI rbK Dh/Dr
• For steady radial flow to a well where Q, b,K are const.
• Assume two- dimensional flow to a well centered on a circular island and
penetrating a homogenous and isotropic confined aquifer. Assume the flow is
horizontal everywhere.
RADIAL GROUND WATER FLOW IN
UNCONFINED ACQUIFER
 RADIAL GROUND WATER FLOW IN
UNCONFINED AQUIFERS
 Unconfined aquifer – an aquifer that does not have a confining layer between it and the ground
surface that can flow directly between the surface and the saturated zone of the aquifer.
 Commonly called water table aquifer
 In an unconfined aquifer, radial flow happens when water is pumped from a well,
causing the water table to drop and forming a cone-shaped depression around the
well as groundwater moves toward it in a circular pattern
• THEIM’S EQUATION/ DUPUIT’S FORMULA
• ASSUMPTIONS FOR STEADY RADIAL FLOW IN UNCONFINED AQUIFER
1. The aquifer is unconfined and underlain by horizontal confining layer.
2. The well is pumped at constant rate

Where:
q = constant flow rate,
r1, r2 = radial distance from the circular
section to the pumping well
h1,h2= saturated thickness of the unconfined aquifer
k= hydraulic conductivity
h = height of the penetration of water to the original water table
 RADIAL GROUND WATER FLOW IN UNCONFINED
AQUIFERS

To solve for the permeability of unconfined aquifer we

use Darcy’s law
• RADIAL GROUND WATER FLOW IN UNCONFINED AQUIFERS

An aquifer that does not have a confining layer between it and the ground
surface

To solve for the permeability of unconfined aquifer we use Darcy’s law

SAMPLE PROBLEM
A well pumps 0.4 𝑚3 Τ𝑠 from an unconfined aquifer where saturated
thickness is 24 m. If the drawdown 50 m from the well is 1 m and the
drawdown 100 from the well is 0.5 m; then
a. Calculate the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer
b. Determine the expected drawdown 5m from the well.
TRAVEL TIME OF GROUND IN CONFINED
 TRAVEL TIME OF GROUND IN CONFINED
• The time interval between recharge and discharge points is defined
as the travel time groundwater flow. Time travel is used in several
applications such as;
• designing exploitation
• monitoring systems
• identifying areas affected by contaminant migration
• assessing the potential for natural attenuation of pollutants
TRAVEL TIME OF GROUND IN CONFINED
TRAVEL TIME
• Travel time serves a fundamental role in the relationship between
the volume of exploitation and the variation in groundwater
reserves, as well as in the possibilities of remediation in case of
chemical degradation.
• FORMULA:
T = DT/VS

WHERE:
T= TIME TRAVELLED
DT= DISTANCE TRAVELLED
VS=SEEPAGE VELOCITY